Air-brake and steam-pipe coupling



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1,

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BRAKE AND STEAM PIPE GOUPLING.

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` AIR BRAKE'AND STEAM P1125 GOUPLING. No. 597,220. Patented Jan. 11,1898.

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AIR BRAKE-AND STEAM PIPE GOUPLING.

No. 597,220. Patented Jan. 1l, 1898.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

GEORGED. PETTINGELL, OF JEFFERSON, IOVA.

AIR-BRAKE. AND STEAM-PIPE COUPLINVG.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 597,220, dated January 11, 1898.

' Application filed .Tnly 6, 1897. Serial No. 643,502. (No model.)

prove the construction of car-couplings to.4

render the automatic draw-bar coupling positive, easy of action, and secure and to hold the knuckle securely in both its locked and its unlocked position and prevent its being held or thrownin a half-way position at any time when the two cars come together.

A further object of my invention is to make the parts of the said coupling-head in such manner that they may be easily taken apart, put together, and replaced when broken.

A 'further obj ect of my invention is to form the coupling-head connection with the drawbar in such manner that the cars may readily turn curves or be coupled on short curves when required to do so.

A further object of myinvention is to connect the draw-bar coupling automatically and also connect automatically the several air and steam pipes which connect the-airhrakes and which heat and ventilato the cars also, to provide improved means for supporting and connecting said devices with the draw-bar coupling to admit of the most complete flexibility of said connections and to insure a close union one with the other under all conditions.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of one of my coupling-heads complete. Fig.' 2 is a horizontal section through the draw-head'of my draw-bar coupling; Fig. 3, a similar sectional plan of the air and steam pipe coupling; Fig. 4, a perspective view in detail of the knuckle in reverse position to that shown in Fig. 2;

View of the locking-dog with its bearing- Fig. 5, a perspective blocks detached; Fig. 6, a front elevation of the couplercomplete; Fig. 7, a side elevation thereof with the lower 'frame cross-bars in section; Fig.V 8, a plan of myimproved coupling connecting two cars on a curve; Fig. 9, a sectional plan of the air and steam pipe coupling connections in the same position as in Fig. 8; Fig. l0, a perspective View of one of the air and steam pipe coupling sections; Fig. 1l, asectional plan similar to Fig. 3, the air and steam pipe coupling with three pipe connections; and Fig. l2, a section in line :1; m of Fig. 1l, looking rearwardly.

The frame l of the car carries the drawbar in the usual manner, and the coupling connections are supported to play between the horizontal frame-pieces 2 and 3 andthe vertical frame-pieces aand 5, properly joined together.

- The draw-bar 6 is connected to the couplinghead 7 by a exible link-section 8, which latter comprises at each end segmental mortises 9, which receive corresponding tenons l0 of the draw-bar and coupling-head, which exten'd from top to bottom thereof, the said link-sections 8 also having segmental tenons ll, which fit truly in corresponding mortises 12 in the adjacent ends of the draw-bar and the coupling-head. The ends of couplinghead and draw-bar each have central hubs la to receive pins 13, which also pass through plates 15, secured thereby to the top and bottom, respectively, of the said parts. This construction will admit of a flexible and ver)T secure connection between the coupling-head and draw-bar and allow the draw-bars of two cars to be easily connected together and adapt themselves either to a straight or a curved line. The coupling-head 7 has the usual vertical recess 7 at the front, to one side of which is pivot-ed a knuckle 1G by means of a vertical pin 17, which passes through lugs 7b thereof, and also has a horizontal recess 7 to receive the blade 1Ga of the knuckle anda transverse vertical recess 7 to receive a locking-dog 1S, pivotally supported therein to vibrate in a Vertical plane and lock either behind or in front of the blade 16h of the knuckle to hold the latter either in its open or in its closed position. A chamber 7@ upon one side of the IOO coupling-head is adapted to receive the heel 16" of the knuckle-blade 1Gn when the knuckles of the two cars are engaged with each other, and a chamber 7f in the top of a coverplate 7g, fitted upon the coupling-head, .receives a chain 19, connected to the dog 1S and also the end of a lever 20, connected to the chain for lifting the said dog when the knuckles are to be uncoupled, the lever 2O being held at its free end by a bracket 2l, suitable lugs 21fL upon the bracket serving to hold the said lever either in its raised or its lowered position.

The locking-dog 1S haspins 1S at one end, which are held in recesses at the front and back, respectively, of a vertical recess 7h, and'` blocks 1Sb and 18c are also held in said vertical recess, respectively, above and below the said pins 1S and pivotal end of the lockingdog to support the latter` securely and allow it to swing freely within the recess 7 1 of the coupling-head. A rod 22, having a pin 22a at its inner end, passes through a lateral aperture 7'l of the coupling-head and rests upon the floor of the horizontal recess 7c and is connected by said pin to the heel 16b of the knuckle-blade and provides means for pushing the knuckle open if at any time it should be closed when uncoupled. The heel 16b of the knuckle-blade is held to abut against the dog to rhold the knuckle open, and the latter is first lifted until it rests upon the inclined or wedge-shaped upper face of said blade by means of a trigger 18, which passes from the face to the heel of said blade through a suitable aperture 1GC therein and is kept normally withdrawn within said aperture by a coiled spring 18C, which encircles the shank of said trigger and presses against an abutment-wall of said recess. Vhen the cars come together, the knuckle of the connect-ing car pushes first against the outwardly-projecting end of the trigger 1Sd and presses its inner wedgeshaped end beneath the dog 18 and lifts it sufficiently to allow the point of the knuckleblade to pass beneath the said dog and lift it farther and completely out of the way by means of its inclined wedge-shaped upper surface. v Y

The air-pipe 23 and steampipe 2st of the coupling are supported in a coupling-box comprising a cup-section 25 and a port-block section 26, held within the cup, each being supported as hereinafter described, the cupsection to both oscillate and reciprocate and the port-block section to both rock and oscillate independently of each other. The cupsection 25 has laterally and oppositely disposed pivot-lugs 25, which fit and are held in horizontal slots 27a in bracket-plates 27, secured to the coupling-head by bolts 27 b, the said cup-section being thus free to oscillate horizontally and also to reciprocate within said slot. The cup-sections 25 also have guide-rods 25b 25c 25d, each of which passes through a hole in the vertical plate 27 c ofnthe bracket 27, which serve to hold said sections to reciprocate truly in a horizontalplane to receive the couplingl blow of the cars when they come together,suitable springs 28,placed upon the outer guide-rods 25" 25, serving to normally hold the coupling-sections pressed outwardly. -1

The cup-section 25 has a top rim-flange 25C, which encircles the sides and back thereof and covers a bottom flange 2G? of the portsection 2G to hold it wit-hin the cup-section and allow it to oscillare freely therein, and a bridge-flange 25f is located diametrically upon the bottom of said cup-section, upon which the said port-section may rock within the cupsection. The port-section is connected by pipes 29 30, leading from the ports therein, to a coupling-disk 31, which latter has slotted ports 3l Slb for the passage of the air and steam from the pipes v29 30 to similar ports and pipes of the car to be connected therewith. The coupling-disks 31 are provided with guide-prongs 3l, which are outwardly and cause said disks to come together and conform one to the other, and the pipes 29 and 30 each have coupling-joints 29 and 30a, which allow the disks to be easily separated from the port-block and pipe-coupling connections, but 'also admit of the; adj ustment of the facesl of the disks to bring them squarely together.

The pipe-coupling connections are free to swing and adjust themselves independently of the draw-bar coupling when so required, but are normally held in line therewith by a bracket-arm 32, slotted at its outer end and secured at its inner end to the top of the portblock section and by a spring-steel blade fitted at its outer and free end within the outer slot of arm 32, and secured at its inner end to the under side of the draw-head.

The separate operation of the several details have been heretofore described and a general statement only is deemed necessary in connection herewith. Cars are made ready to couple by placing the free end of the lever below the lug of the guide-bracket, thus to allow the dog to drop to its working position. Should the knuckle be thrown into its locked position, it must be iirst pulled out by the lateral rod. The cars are then ready to come together, and the outwardly-projecting section of the knuckle of one couplingwill press against the blade of the other coupling and also upon the trigger therein, which latter will rst slightly lift the dog until it rests upon the inclined upper surface of the said blade, the movement of the latter being continued until the dog drops securely behind the heel of the knuckle and locks it securely, with its outer joint held transversely across the coupling-head and in engagement with the other knuckle. Vhen the cars are to be uncoupled, the lever is drawn down and the dog lifted from behind the heel of the knuckle-blade, thus allowing the coupling-heads to be pulled apart. W'hile the draw-bar couplings are being connected the disks upon the ends of the IOO IOS

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air and steam. pipe connections will come together, the oscillating and teetering blocks and cups allowing them to adjust themselves regardless of an y ordinary inequality of height or axial position. The spring connections of the cup-sections press the disks outwardly with sufficient force to cause them to beheld together with sniiicient force to form an air and steam tight joint between the disks, the faces of, which are suitably packed with sheetrubber to make the joint secure.

I The port-blocks are connected by suitable pipes with the ordinary Vestin ghouse or other air-brake, air-pipe, andV steam-pipe connections, aud it is evident that a third pipe to carry airfor ventilation or other purposes may be connected with the port-block and pipecoupling sections, as shown in Fig. 1l of the drawings. nary steam or air brake system may be conneet-ed with the coupling, the ordinary stopcoclrs therein serving to turn on the air and steam after the cars have been coupled.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A car-coupling comprising a fixed head an oscillating vertically-pivoted knuckle having a blade extension and a horizontally-pivotedlocking-dcg supported in said head tangentially to the arc of movement of the knuckle-blade and adapted to oscillate vertically and transversely Within the head to hold the knuckle open until automatically coupled, substantially as described.

2. A car-coupling comprising a verticallypivoted hook, a horizontally-pivoted lockingdog supported in said head, a lifting-pin fitted in said hook to slide thereon and lift the dog from behind the coupling-hook, substantially as described.

3. A car-coupling comprising a couplinghead having a horizontal recess, la vertical transverse recess and a vertical longitudinal recess all connected together, a knuckle-joint pivoted to one of the side jaws of the couplinghead, a dog pivotally supported to oscillate vertically and transversely therein, bearingblocks ladapted to t the vertical longitudinal recesses and support the pivotal end of the dog and a cap-plate to cover the couplinghead and recesses therein, substantially as described.

Li. A car-coupling comprising a couplinghead having a transverse recess therein, a

Theconnectinffi es of an 7ordifell the corresponding recesses and sections of the coupling-head and draw-bar and pins connecting said sections, substantially as described.

6. A pipe-coupling for railroad-cars, comprising a cup-section, a port-section oscillatin g therein, a plurality of pipes leading from the port-section,a disk and pipe leading therefrom and pipe-couplings connecting the pipe of the disk with the pipes of the port-section, substantially as described.

.7. A combined draw-bar and air-pipe coupling comprising a draw-bar coupling-head, an air-pipe coupling comprising oscillatory cup and port-block sections, a pipe leading therefrom to a couplingdisk, a bracket and a spring-plate connecting the coupling-head of the draw-bar with the oscillatory pipe. connections, substantially as described.

S. A car-coupling pipe connection,comprisin g an oscillatory port and block section pipes leading therefrom, a coupling-disk, a cupsection into which the said port-section is 1itted,guiderods projecting rearwardlytherefrom, a bracket and springs embracing the guide-rods to press outwardly upon the coupling-disks, substantially as described.

9. In a pipe-coupling for railroad-cars, the combination with the bracket having horizontal guide slots, cup section having lateral pivot projections to engage therewith andl guide-rods supported horizontally by said brackets,'springs en circling said rods, a portsection held to oscillate within said cup-section, a pipe leading therefrom anda couplingdisk secured thereto, substantially as described. y

lO. In a pipe-coupling for railroad-cars the combination with the bracket of the oscilla- GEORGE n. PETTINGELL.

Witnesses:

WM. H. Rows, M. A. CARROLL.

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